Rosa Parks To Become The 1st Black Woman To Get A Statue On Capitol Hill [PHOTOS]

Rosa Parks passed away in 2005, but her legacy will not soon be forgotten. Parks is set to become the first Black woman to earn a statue on Capitol Hill, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced last Thursday (Jan. 17).

Schumer is in charge of overseeing artwork on Capitol Hill and also helmed events celebrating President Obama’s inauguration, earlier in the week. “The theme involves slavery and civil rights,” he said of the inauguration which fell on Martin Luther King r. Day. “This will be the last time that we have the luncheon in Statuary Hall where Rosa Parks will not be there.”

Every state donates two statues of their most prominent figures to Statuary Hall, and given her history in Alabama, Parks was chosen.

Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery back in 1955 and was arrested for the decision. She is noted as one of the faces of the Civil Rights Movement, and her act of disobedience—then considered against the law—has been praised as one of the most pivotal moments during the fight for equal rights.

Since her passing, Parks has been honored in several capacities. Last year, the Washington Natural Cathedralunveiled a statue celebrating her contribution to history, and the U.S. postage stamp will unveil a stamp with her image, on Feb. 4, which would’ve been her 100th birthday.